Deadspin Walks Back Article Accusing Chiefs Fan of Wearing Blackface: ‘We Regret Any Suggestion That We Were Attacking the Fan’

Deadspin made significant changes to a story accusing a young Kansas City Chiefs fan of wearing blackface after the child’s parents threatened to sue.

Nine-year-old Holden Armenta went viral on Twitter when he was shown at the Chiefs’ Nov. 26 game in a Native American headdress and face paint. Half of his face was painted black, while the other was painted red. Shortly after, Deadspin writer Carron J. Phillips claimed the child “found a way to hate Black people and the Native Americans at the same time” in an article.

Holden’s parents were furious by the way their son was characterized and hired an attorney to prepare to sue. The family’s attorney then published a letter demanding retractions of Phillips’ claims.

In the latest version of the story, those retractions have been made.

“On Nov. 27, Deadspin published an opinion piece criticizing the NFL for allowing a young fan to attend the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 26 wearing a traditional Native American

headdress and, based upon the available photo, what appeared to be black face paint,” the editor’s note says. “Unfortunately the article drew attention to the fan, though our intended focus was on the NFL and its checkered history on race, an issue which our writer has covered extensively for Deadspin. Three years ago, the Chiefs banned fans from wearing headdresses in Arrowhead Stadium, as well as face painting that ‘appropriates American Indian cultures and traditions.’ The story’s intended focus was the NFL and its failure to extend those rules to the entire league.

“We regret any suggestion that we were attacking the fan. To that end, our story was updated on Dec. 7 to remove any photos, tweets, links, or otherwise identifying information about the fan. We have also revised the headline to better reflect the substance of the story.”

In addition to removing the photo of Holden, the content of the article has been tweaked. Instead of the line accusing him of hating Black people and Native Americans, it now reads, “It takes a lot to disrespect two groups of people at once.”

The changes were made with little fanfare, prompting a new round of criticism from some publications for a “half-hearted” effort.